Encouraging cheers and inspiring words came from the Cat in the Hat, Harry Potter, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and Ivan the Gorilla, giving an extra push to runner Travis Johnston, of Bourne, who crossed the finish line first in Sunday's Readers Become Leaders 5K race.

“I want to go home and pick up a book,” Johnston joked while catching his breath after finishing the 5K with a time of 19:13.

The Readers Become Leaders 5K is a fundraiser in its 12th year. The route is a five-kilometer loop that that starts and finishes at the Minot Forest Elementary School. The run stations readers along the course, who read excerpts from their favorite books while dressed in costume as their favorite literary characters.

The proceeds from the entrant fees benefit the Language Arts program of the Wareham Middle School. Money goes towards buying books, periodicals, and technology. This year's race had 58 entrants.

Middle School Principal Dan Minkle, who has coordinated the race since its first year, said the concept of the Readers Become Leaders was adapted from a run in Dedham called the James Joyce race, in which readers support the runners by reading lines from the famous Irish author. Minkle said it made sense to adapt the concept to include people of all ages, having them read from their favorite books, and dress up in costume.

“The funniest story was one year we had a teacher who dressed up as Miss Havisham from [Charles Dickens'] 'Great Expectations',” Minkle said, referring to the decaying old woman in the novel. “After the race she went to eat at Friendly's, while still in the dress ... Some people left money for her in an envelope, thinking she was a bride who was just married.”

Wareham Middle School special education teacher Lisa Williams brought her son RowanWilliams with her. They dressed as Princess Leia and Darth Vader while reading to the runners Star Wars fan fiction.

“Some [the runners] are very determined, and didn't look at us,” Lisa Williams said. “But some of them looked up and said, 'Thank you'. I am so surprised to see some young students really pushing it.”

Maureen Reber, also a special education teacher at the Middle School, was placed at the 4K mark of the race dressed as a gorilla reading her favorite children's book, “Ivan, the Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla” by Katherine Applegate.

“It's about an animal that was taken out of his natural home, and put on display in a mall for years and years," Reber said. "The people got angry that he was all by himself and they finally got Ivan to be moved to be put in a natural habitat with other gorillas. It's a true story.”

Readers Become Leaders' top prize was $100 check for the male and female with the best time. Johnston was the winner in the male category. Anne Preisig of Falmouth came in first place in the female division with a time of 20:44.

For more information on official times and statistics of the 12th Annual Readers Become Leaders race, visit CoolRunning.com's recent results link.